Noble Redemption
by JGThorncross
Summary: A Citadel Ship crash-lands on Reach during it's darkest hour. How will these new arrivals change the battle for Reach... and how will they affect NOBLE team?
1. Prologue

Location: Planet Reach  
Date: July 24th, 2552  
Time: 07:28

I take a look at my helmet – a GUNGNIR class helmet with CBRN and HU/RS attachments – before flipping it around and sliding it over my head. The video screen activates as the camera turns on, giving me a full view of my environment.

My name is Lucille 312. I am a Spartan-III… and the newest member of NOBLE Team.

The roar of two UH-144 Falcon gunships fill my ears, and I look up to see them fly overhead. The troophog I'm riding in slows to a stop as we arrive in Noble's camp. I hop out of the jeep and head towards the building. I hear a voice – Colonel Urban Holland's, in fact – coming from the building as I approach  
"Contact with Visegrad Relay was lost last night. All signals flatlined at twenty-six hundred hours"  
I pass another Spartan-III on my way. He's filling magazines for a sniper rifle. I nod and continue on my way.  
"I responded with Trooper fire teams, which have since been declared MIA"

I hear a new voice as I close on the building. "And now you're sending us"

"The Office of Naval Intelligence believes deployment of a Spartan team is a gross mis-allocation of valuable resources. I disagree"

I step up the stairs and look inside, greeted by another Spartan, this one sharpening a kukri knife on his shoulder – SECURITY class, with the knife's sheath attached to it. I'm blocked by a Spartan in Cyan armor. She turns to the Spartan in front of the console.

"Commander"

I turn to face the blue-armored Spartan and see another sitting next to him. He's massive.  
"So that's our new Number Six"

The one sharpening his knife looks to the cyan-armored Spartan. "Kat, you read her file?"

Kat looks over to the Spartan. "Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink"

The Commander turns back to the console. "Anyone claim responsibility, sir?"

"ONI thinks it might be the local Insurrection. Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony – hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from drydock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online Noble One"  
The commander nods. I nod as well. Holland is right. Reach is way too important to let anything unusual go uninvestigated – and corrected.

"Sir. Consider it done"

"Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out". And with that, the screen goes dark. The Commander picks up his helmet – COMMANDO class – and turns to face me. "Lieutenant"

"Commander, sir"

"I'm Carter, NOBLE Team's leader. That's Kat, Noble Two, Emile and Jorge, four and five. You're riding with me, Noble Six"  
Carter steps outside and puts on his helmet. "Not gonna lie to you, Lieutenant – you're stepping into some shoes the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled. Me, I'm just happy to have NOBLE back up to full strength"  
We reach the Falcon that the sniper I passed earlier had been sitting in – Noble Three, I'm guessing – and step inside. "Just one thing: I've seen your file, even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your skillset, but _we're a team_. That 'lone wolf' stuff stays behind. Clear?"  
Carter signals for the other falcon to take off just before sitting down.

"Got it, sir"

Noble Three turns to face me as I sit down.  
"Welcome to Reach"

[-]

ACCESSING PERSONNEL FILE: LUCILE-B312

ARMOR CONFIGURATION: MJOLNIR MK V  
\- HELMET: GUNGNIR REINFORCED HELMET WITH CBRN & HU/RS ATTACHMENTS  
\- VISOR COLOR: BLACK  
\- LEFT SHOULDER: UA/BASE SECURITY  
\- RIGHT SHOULDER: CQC PLATE  
\- CHEST ATTACHMENT: HP/PARAFOIL ( MODIFIED TO ALLOW EASE OF USE WITH ROBOTIC PROSTHESIS )  
\- WRIST ATTACHMENT: TACTICAL/UGPS  
\- UTILITY ATTACHMENT: TACTICAL/SOFT CASE  
\- KNEEPADS: GUNGNIR LIGHT PADS 

COLORATION:  
\- BASE: STEEL, BASIC CONFIGURATION  
\- ACCENT: SAGE, CAMOUFLAGE CONFIGURATION


	2. Approach on Visegrad

Location: En-route to Visegrad Relay aboard Falcon  
Date: July 26th, 2552  
Time: 09:23 ( 27 – hour clock )

"Listen up Noble Team. We're looking at a downed relay fifty klicks from Visegrad. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's gonna get it back online"  
I look over at the other Falcon carrying Kat, Emile, and Jorge as we fly towards the relay. Kat's monitoring the communications channels while Emile and Jorge check their equipment.

After Carter briefs us, Kat looks up.  
"Just get me under the hood, Commander"

Jorge looks up from his gun. "Sir, why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the other colonies?"  
Immediately, a few notable reasons pop into my head. Disruption of major operations. A rallying call for the Insurrection. Preparation for a major invasion. Any number of reasons, and all of them bad.

Carter looks over to Jorge. "You get a chance, maybe you can ask them"

Kat takes another look at her datapad. "Commander, we just lost our signal with Command"

"Backup channels?"

"Searching… Nada. Can't say what's jamming us"

I hear Carter sigh. "You heard her, dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us company this trip"

Emile looks up ever so slightly. "I'm lonely already" he says, a tad bit sarcastically.

We fly over a small farm, dotted with fires and wreckage. Carter puts his hand to his helmet. "Shootdown attempts are likely, so keep your distance"

"Yes, sir"

I take a look around the area while the Falcon slows down for a safe landing, then back to Carter.  
"Let's stay focused. Watch your sectors" he says, while looking around for a landing area.

"There's the communications outpost" Jorge says, pinging the building in the distance

"Picking up a distress signal" Kat announces.  
I look over to where the signal is originating. The ping places it under a small, broken pallet.

Carter nods. "Could be the missing troopers, let's check it out". He looks over to a bluff overlooking the clearing. "Put us down on the bluff"

I feel the Falcon circle around. Carter looks at Jun.  
"Jun, I want your eyes in the sky"

Jun nods. "Sir"

The two falcons set down, and Carter steps off. "Let's go, Six"  
I nod, and step out as well.  
Carter looks down the hill. "Alright Noble Team, spread out. Watch the approach"

Emile takes off on his own, heading over to a small hill overlooking the building we circled on our way in. "Structure point 3-4, looks clear from this angle"

I follow Carter and Kat down the hill, swapping from my MA37 to my M6G. As we approach the building, Kat checks her datapad. "Distress beacon's coming from just south of here, Commander. We're close"

Carter nods. "Roger that. Eyes peeled"  
A wrecked warthog, left aflame by whoever destroyed it, lights the area as we approach. Emile walks over to the pallet we saw on our way in, flips it over, and picks up a red object.  
"Found the beacon" he says, tossing it to Kat

"Make out any ID?" Carter asks, turning to face Kat.

Kat shakes her head. "Negative. But it's military"

Jorge pipes up over the coms. "So, where are all the troopers?"

Kat turns and looks at the burning warthog and the area around it. "Why are we not seeing any explosive residue?"

Carter puts his right hand up to his head. "Jun, can you confirm any 'EX residue in the area?"

"Hmmm… Negative, sir"

"Plasma, maybe" Emile says. Putting voice to our thoughts, I think

"Can't be. Not on Reach" Jorge replies.

"There's a _lot_ of blood on the ground"

Carter shakes his head. "Okay Noble, looks like there's nothing here. Let's move on"

Kat tosses the beacon over to me. "Tuck that in your pouch, Lieutenant"

I nod, and store the beacon in my soft case. "Commander, smoke at the next structure"

Carter nods. "Smart eye, Six. Circle west and check it out. Noble, you have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't need to telegraph our presence"  
I nod and make my way towards the house. Two moas run out towards us. Something must've spooked them. Carter, Kat, Emile, and I make our way down the stairs.  
"Noble Six, move into the house, nice and quiet. We're right behind you"

I nod, and head towards the entrance. Emile follows me in as we clear the small building. As we approach a large hole in the wall, Jun pings the building just outside.

"Commander, I'm detecting heat sigs in the structure ahead"

The door opens up, and a local walks out. I can see two more people just inside the door. Emile rushes past me and aims his shotgun at the poor man. "On your knees, now!" he shouts as Jorge steps off the other Falcon. "They're not rebels, Emile, they're farmers. Look at them"

Carter walks over. "Ask them what they're doing here"  
Jorge nods and questions the farmer. They're speaking Hungarian, so I can't understand what they're saying. After a moment, Jorge nods and steps away.

"Hiding sir. Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, and gunfire. Stopped around sunrise" Jorge shakes his head. "He told me something in the fields killed his son"

"Some_thing_?"

"Commander, be advised, I'm reading heat signatures in that building directly east of your position, over"

"Copy that, Jun. Jorge, get them back inside"

Jorge barks at the farmer in Hungarian, and the man turns and runs into the building. We start making our way to the building Jun pinged.

"Noble Team, double time it"

We sprint the rest of the way, up the hill. Once we reach the building, Carter and I head inside… where two of the missing troopers hang on pegs. I let out a low whistle and shake my head. Carter shakes his head too.  
"Damn"

"Clue me in, Commander, what are you seeing? Over"

Carter puts his hand to his helmet. "We got military casualties, two of the missing troopers. Looks like they were interrogated… it's messy"

I take a look at the ground. "Sir?"

Carter turns to face me. "Yes, Six?"

I nod towards the ground. "Take a look at these footprints"

Carter inspects the prints. "Be a strange human with these feet. Jun, keep an eye out for Jackals and Elites. We got tracks matching them here"

"Yes, sir"

I hear a loud clattering as Carter and I head towards an interior door. "Got you now!" I hear a strange voice say, followed by a very meaty _shunk_. I aim my pistol at the noise. "Whoever it is, out, _now!_"

A large alien steps out, the dead body of a Jackal impaled on a glowing orange blade suspended above it's left wrist. "Uh… friendly?" it says, dropping the jackal at our feet. I shake my head. "What do you make of this, Commander?"

Carter shakes his head. "Strangest looking Elite I've ever seen"

The alien shrugs. "That's probably cause I'm _not_ an Elite"

"Then what the hell are you, alien?" I ask, aiming my pistol at it.

The alien raises it's arms. "Turian. From beyond your… Orion Arm? I think I got that right. Anyways. I'm Garrus Vakarrian, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance"

I shake my head and lower my gun. "Your call, Commander"

Carter nods. "Given that it's communicating in a friendly manner and hasn't shot at us yet… I'll take my chances. I'm Carter, Noble 1, and this is Noble 6. We're on task here, so if you can help us, then by all means"

The alien – Garrus – picks up the dead jackal's needle rifle and nods. "I'll follow your lead, Noble 1, seeing as you're the local commanding officer"

Carter nods, then puts his hand to his helmet. "Jun, we picked up a friendly alien. Don't shoot him, okay?"

"You'll have to repeat that, Commander. Comms must be acting up, because it just sounded like you said 'Friendly Alien'". Jun replies.

Carter nods. "I did. And if said alien shoots at me, I'm expecting you to dispatch it, Noble 3"

"Copy that, Commander"

[-]

09:51, local time ( 27 – hour clock )

The alien, Garrus, proved his value in combat quick. Showing his skill as a marksman, he used the Jackal's needle rifle to help us dispatch a large group of Covenant just past the complex we found him in. After the firefight, he explained how he ended up on Reach. Apparently, his ship had been tailing a Covenant strike group from another planet that had fallen under attack by the bastards. When they went into slipspace, he ordered his crew to make a hard burn for the largest ship, reasoning that they would be able to warn whoever was on the next planet that they were going to be attacked. Unfortunately for him and his crew, his ship was detected as the Covvie strike group left slipspace, and in the ensuing firefight, his ship crashed on the planet about twenty-five klicks north of the valley. He ordered his crew to stay behind and guard the crash site while he went – alone – to look for help. He found the jackal patrolling the area, caused a noise, and when the jackal went to investigate – well, everyone knows what happened after that.  
"So how are you speaking English?"

Garrus nods. "Technically – oof! – I'm not. I'm speaking Turian common, but my translator software is converting it into English. Now, your next question is: Garrus, how did you get access to such data? Well, an Asari patrol – I have one on my team, you'll meet her later – discovered a ship drifting through space. I was sent to investigate, along with my team. That, technically, was first contact, and your ship's AI and the captain – what were their names? I can't remember – Ungh! – right now, but they handled it very well"

"What was the ship's name?" Carter asks

"Lemme think… Right! The ship's name was the Spirit of Fire"

I blink. "Commander, wasn't that the one that declared 'lost with all hands' back in '34?"

"One and the same. Should've known someone would find her eventually"

"Noble Leader, I'm seeing heat sigs in the structure ahead"

"Copy that Jun, we'll check it out"  
I slow our truck down to a stop, and hop out, readying my MA37. "Looks like a residential complex, Commander"

"Miss the Citadel's hover cars right about now…" Garrus says, popping his neck. "Haven't had that many bumps and jostles since basic"  
I snort a laugh, and Garrus gives me a cold look.

"Focus, Six. Residential complex" Carter says

I nod. "Yes, sir"  
I head towards the garage and am greeted by several grunts. I start popping off rounds at their mask-covered heads, while they retaliate with bolts of plasma from their plasma pistols. Soon after the first rounds are exchanged, a white-armored Elite joins the fray. "Ultra!' I shout out, and shift my fire to the bastard. As soon as my rounds hit it, the Elite's shields flare up. I press the attack, drop the shields, and Garrus finishes it off with a shot to it's head. We finish off the grunts, and I holster my rifle. "Nice shot"

Garrus nods. "It's a decent weapon, but I'd like something with a little more range to it. Still, it'll do in the meantime"

We climb back into the truck, and I start driving through the garage. Jun's portrait pops up on my HUD. "Boss, I'm detecting more activity to the east. Advise you check it out, over"

Carter nods. "Roger Three. We're en route"  
I turn the flatbed to the right, further down the hill. Garrus reloads the rifle – slowly, as if he's not used to the motion – and closes the chamber. Probably first-time weapon adjustments. "Little more heft than a thermal clip. Hmm. I wonder if it could be detonated…"

"Detonated how?"

"A simple overcharge should do the trick. You see, Six, these magazines contain an amorphous fluid that sharpens into razor sharp crystals upon exposure to electricity. The weapon uses that impulse to direct the fluid down-range. Now, theoretically, I could use a magazine as a make-shift grenade, and target it with an overcharge from my omni-tool"

"Okay, two things. One: how did you figure out how that rifle works so quickly, and two: Omni-what?"

"One, I didn't. My engineer did. She's something of a prodigy when it comes to figuring out how alien tech works, so I sent a scan of the rifle her way. Two: Omni-tool. Micro-computer with a holographic interface with a number of different tools. Overcharge being one of them"

I shake my head. "Well, you'll get your chance soon enough. More Covvies ahead!" I stop the flatbed. The three of us hop out and start firing at the Covenant in the building across the river. Carter looks over to Garrus and I. "Jackals across the river with needle rifles. If we can take them out, we should be able to push up and deal with the grunts and that Elite"

I nod. "Garrus?"

Garrus nods. "On it"

Two shots from his needle rifle, and the Jackals are down. "Amateurs"  
I whistle, and start pushing up, suppressing the grunts with fire from my MA37. At the same time, Carter and Garrus start peppering the Elite with fire from their rifles. As I approach the building, I direct my fire at the Elite, dropping it's shields. Carter takes a shot and nails it in the head. Once he hits the floor, the grunts still on the ramp drop their weapons, ignite their plasma grenades, and start sprinting towards the closest target – me. I curse, and start spraying them with rounds. "They're suicide grunts. Get back!" I shout, bracing for what seems like inevitable oblivion.

"Six, duck!" I hear Garrus shout. I drop. At the same time, I see an arc of electricity leap towards one of the grunts. It strikes the grunt, and detonates the plasma grenades it's holding, resulting in a chain reaction. A very loud chain reaction. Jun's portrait pops up on my HUD.

"Noble Leader, what was that? I heard it all the way up here"

As I stand up, I see Carter with his hand to his helmet. "Suicide grunts. Garrus saved Six's hide by setting off a chained detonation"

I hear Jun whistle. "Impressive. In any case, we're picking up a distress signal. Routing it to you now"  
Our COM lights up, and a designation – Three Charlie – appears on my HUD.  
"Mayday! This is Three Charlie Six, does anyone read? We were attacked by Covenant forces! The Covenant is on Reach, I repeat, the Covenant is on Reach!"

"Let's move, Six. We gotta find the source of that distress call"

Jun's portrait pops up again. "No disrespect, but don't we have more important things to do than round up strays?"

Carter shakes his head. "We don't leave people behind. You see those troopers, you let me know"  
"Sir? The road up the left side of the hill intersects with the residential complex we cleared earlier. We might find those troopers up that way"

Carter nods. "Good thinking Six. Mount up, and start driving"

Garrus and I nod, and hop into the flatbed. Carter hops into shotgun, and I gun the truck up the hill.  
**THUNK**  
**THUNK**  
"I think those were Jackals, Six"

I smirk. "Roadkill, now"

"That's one way to save rounds" Garrus says.

Jun's portrait appears again. "Commander, I'm seeing possible friendly forces under attack, south of your position, over!"

After Jun, the logo for Three Charlie appears once again. "We're under attack! I repeat: mayday, mayday! Three Charlie Six, we're under attack by the Covenant! I've got wounded - cannot hold this position!"

Carter looks over at me. "We need to find those troopers, now!"

I nod back at Carter and floor the gas pedal. Just around a bend, and we see a Covvie dropship descending. I slam the brakes and stop the truck. Carter and Garrus don't waste any time as shots begin to fly between us and the Covenant forces attacking us. After we clear out the garbage, Carter puts his hand to his helmet, signaling Jun. "Noble Three, we've located the missing troopers. Requesting evac: my position"

Jun's portrait appears again. "Solid copy, Commander. Recalling Falcon Charlie 2. Hold that evac position"

One of the troopers, clad in ODST armor, approaches us. My HUD pings him as Corporal Travis, Three Charlie Six. "Spartans… and whoever your friend is. Corporal Travis, Three Charlie. It's the Covenant"

Carter nods. "We know, Corporal. Let's get you and your men out of here"

"You need any medical assistance, Corporal? I have some supplies that may help" I ask.

Corporal Travis shakes his head. "We got our wounded bandaged up. This structure had some medical supplies inside that we were able to use. Previous occupants were… "

I nod. "I can imagine"

"Noble Leader, be advised: I have visual on in-bound Covenant dropships"

Carter grunts, then nods. "Evac transport, keep your distance! Six, Garrus, hold position. Clear an LZ"

The first dropship lands and discharges it's occupants: Grunts and a couple of Elite Ultras. I take a M392 DMR from the entrance of the nearby garage and start putting accurate fire downrange. One, two, three Grunt skulls experience acute lead poisoning as I strafe and fire. After that chain detonation, I'm not taking any chances. Between Carter, Garrus, myself, and the three ODSTs, we make quick work of the Covenant squads. Another dropship lands, dropping off another two squads, this time with Jackals in the mix. They last about as long as the last two squads did.

I holster my DMR as Carter signals the Falcons. "Transport, LZ is clear. Move in for evac"

Jun's portrait appears again. "Affirmative. Transport inbound"


	3. Battle in Visegrad Interior

Location: En-route to Visegrad Relay aboard Charlie 1  
Time: 10:06, Local time ( 27 – hour clock )

After rescuing Three Charlie, we mounted up, with Garrus taking the side seat next to me. Carter requested a sit-rep from Kat, who reported that the Covenant had flash-fused the door lock, and that she was currently working on cutting through it. Garrus had some thoughts regarding that little detail. "They're looking for something, then"

"What makes you say that?" Carter asks

Garrus tilts his head to the side. "Lock the door open, start clearing out occupants, if any are present. Force enemy combantants – us – to hold a position while the lock is cut. Gives them time to find anything interesting"

"Interesting thought, friendly alien" Jun says

Garrus nods. "Used to be C-Sec – apologies, Citadel Security, the police force on the Citadel – before my induction into the Spectres, so I'm used to speculating with given facts"  
I look towards the mountains as the outline of Visegrad Relay appears.  
"Approaching the com outpost"

Carter puts his hand to his helmet. "Drop us in the courtyard"

"LZ's a little hot, sir –"

"Put her down, pilot. Noble, break's over"  
I nod, and clamber out of the Falcon as we land. A group of Jackals turn to face us as we climb out, and start peppering us with shots from their plasma pistols. We return fire, targeting the exposed hands of the Jackals, then their heads when they flinch. Between Garrus and the rest of us, it doesn't take long to clear them out. The grunts fare no better against us as Garrus and I deal out skull-splitting shots. After the firefight, we head over to Kat.  
"How we doing, Kat?"

Kat shakes her head. "Taking a little longer than I hoped, Commander. I've cut about halfway through the door"

Emile readies his shotgun. "Contact!"

I turn, and see a dropship approaching the courtyard. Carter raises his DMR. "Hold them off so Kat can hack the controls!"  
First dropship lands, and several grunts, jackals, and an Elite minor hop out. I start taking care of the grunts, Garrus focuses on the Jackals, and Jorge and Carter deal with the Elite. Two more dropships approach, and drop off their passengers – more Elite Ultras, grunts, jackals, and skirmishers. "Getting a little hairy out here!" I call out, taking pot-shots at the fast – moving skirmishers from behind a truck parked in the courtyard.

"Commander, I'm gonna try and thin their numbers – even the odds a little" I hear Garrus say over the comms. "Can you cover me for two seconds?"

Silence over the comms while bolts of plasma fly at us. Then…  
"Yeah, Jorge can cover you"

"Copy that, Commander" I hear Jorge say, as he shifts fire to shield Garrus. Two seconds later, he throws a magazine for the Needle Rifle out into the horde, then detonates it with an overload. Pink needles explode everywhere, shredding grunts and jackals alike.

I shout out "Yeah! How you like that, you genocidal monsters!"  
The Ultras who were leading the covvie bastards against us don't last too much longer. Three more dropships, along with two Banshees appear, and the courtyard fills up again. Fuel rod detonations and impact registers from bolts of plasma fill the air as we hold off the Covenant.  
"Kat?" I hear Carter say

"Just about… there! We're inside!"

Carter nods. "Everybody inside! Go, go!"  
While Jun, Jorge, Emile, and Garrus head inside the outpost, Carter and I hold off the Covenant reinforcements. After they're inside, however, Ultras and Minors pin me behind the truck. I move, and I get shredded. "Commander, they got me pinned!"

"Jorge, shift fire to cover the lieutenant. Start hitting those Ultras, hard! Lieutenant, get inside, we'll cover you!"

I swallow my spit and watch Jorge. As the first elite disappears off my radar, I make a break for it. My shields absorb a number of impacts from their plasma repeaters, but I make it inside. Carter looks over to me. "You alright Six?"

I nod. "Little hectic there, but I'm still in one piece"

"That was a lot of Covenant for one fireteam, even one as skilled as yours, Commander" I hear Garrus say.

Carter nods. "Six dropships, and two Banshees. I'm inclined to agree. Something big's here. In any case, we need to find the control room. From there, Kat can get the relay back online. Emile, Garrus, post here. We flush any hostiles, they're yours. Alright, let's do this"  
I nod, activate my night vision, and swap out my pistol for a fallen trooper's MA37. Kat heads into the base, followed by Carter, Jorge, and myself. "Long walk down a short hallway…" I think aloud.

"You can say that again" Jorge replies.

"Focus, Noble" Carter says. I nod, and turn a corner. Immediately, I see a dead civvie lying in the hall.

"Noble Six, search that body" Kat says to me. I nod, and walk over to the corpse as the rest of the team walks into the room.

Carter notices a trooper next to a door, and walks over to him. "Where's the rest of your unit?"

The trooper shakes his head. "We got split. I don't think they… it sounded bad over the comms"

"Alright Corporal, stay put. We'll get you a combat surgeon"

I turn the body over as Kat inspects the console. "Damn. Plasma damage" I hear her say.

A data module falls off the corpse, and I pick it up. "Found something" I say, holding the module up.

Kat snatches it from my hand and inspects it. "I'll take that, Six. Not your domain"

"I've got a live one over here!" Jorge calls out. I look over to my left and see a young woman struggling as Jorge pulls her out. She cries out in Hungarian, while Jorge tries to assuage her.

"Jorge…" Carter says

"I've got her" Jorge replies. Turning his attention back to the woman, he says "Keep still, and I'll release you"

"Még... Itt vannak." Is the woman's reply.

Jorge stiffens…. And three Elites, Zealot Class, drop from the ceiling. Jorge drops, covering the young woman, as one, the leader by his looks, swipes an energy sword at him. Emile's icon pops up on my HUD as I hear him say "What's your status, over!"

Carter's reply is simple: "We've been engaged!" he says while the young woman starts screaming  
I stand up, and Carter and I focus our fire on one of the Zealots, dropping it's shields. It then rushes me, knocking me over as it makes for the entrance. Carter calls out "Bad guy coming out!"

I hear two shots go off, followed by a _very_ meaty **SHUNK**. Emile calls out "Tango down"

Another Zealot lunges at me, activating an energy dagger. He tries to stab me, but I block the dagger, kick it between it's legs, and shove it off me. Kat turns from the workstation and fires at the Zealot with her pistol. Carter slides my MA37 over, and I grab it, standing up and facing the Zealot… who grabs the corporal by the neck, using him as a meat shield while it and it's companion escape down an open corridor. I look over to Carter. He gestures at the young woman Jorge found, saying "Two, handle her! Five and Six, clear the hole!" I nod, reload my MA37, and head into the corridor with Jorge.

As we enter, Jorge closes the door, preventing the escape of any Covenant we encounter.  
"You should swap over to your DMR, Six. I can handle suppressive fire"  
I nod, and holster my assault rifle. The room, although small, is filled with grunts and jackals. I focus on the jackals, while Jorge tears the grunts apart with his machine gun. After a short while, the room is clear, and we move forward. We head into a hallway, grunts waiting for us. Two frags, and one plasma grenade later, and we head into the data center. Grunts, led by the Zealot that tried to stab me earlier, file out of a room in the corner of the area.

Jorge looks over at me. "Of course there's more. Alright Six, clear them out. I've got you covered"  
I nod, and go to work. While Jorge focuses on the grunts, I start peppering the Zealot with shots from my DMR, rapidly depleting the alien's shields. The Zealot responds by lobbing plasma grenades at me, followed by shots from it's weapon. I dodge out of the way just as the grenades go off, depleting my shields. I grit my teeth and pop off rounds as fast as I can, popping the Zealot's shields and finishing it off with a lucky shot to it's head. Almost immediately after I kill the first Zealot, another one comes out of the corner room, energy sword in hand. It swings the sword at me, and I try to block it with the DMR, only to have it sliced in two by the blade. I toss the two pieces of the rifle away and draw my knife. The Zealot lunges at me, trying to impale me on it's blade. I dodge to the side, grabbing the alien's arm. The Zealot wrenches it's arm free and swipes at me. I jump backwards, just clear of the blade's arc. I flip my knife around so I'm holding it by the blade, and throw it at the Elite. The knife hits it's mark, on the head of the Zealot, killing it instantly. I look over at Jorge. He nods. "Noble Five here. Hostiles neutralized"

Carter's image pops up on my hud. "Kat needs you to reset a junction. Do it, then get back here"  
I head into the corner room, the marker for Kat's junction appearing on my HUD. I reset the junction, then head back outside. I look over to Jorge. "Thanks for the cover, big guy"

Jorge looks back at me. "No prob, Six" he replies, nodding

We get back to the control room just as Kat removes a panel. "How long?" Carter asks Kat

"Question of my life. If the question is, how long till this station is back online? Two weeks, earliest. This is plasma damage. All major uplink components are fried"

"Two minutes is too long"

"Which is why I'm splicing into the main overland bundle to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland… You're in my light, Commander"

Carter backs off, then looks over to Jorge. "Five, find out what she knows. Six, go check on Garrus"

"Yessir"  
I head into the entrance, and see Garrus looking at his omni-tool. "…and now we're at a Relay Outpost. Uploading coordinates" I hear him say, before tapping the device.

"Talking with those friends of yours?" I ask.

Garrus looks over at me and nods. "Yeah. They're on their way here now, since the area is pretty much clear"

Carter steps into the room. "That makes things easier. I just got off the horn with Colonel Holland. We're heading to Sword Base."

I sigh. "Great, spook central"


	4. Visegrad Debrief

Location: En-route to Sword Base aboard D77-TC Pelican, callsign "Foxtrot-24"  
Date: August 24th, 2552  
Time: 11:23, Local time ( 27-hour clock )

The rest of Garrus' team arrived just before our ride showed up. Three more "friendly aliens", as Carter put it. Agent Mordin Solus, a Salarian ( Think old 20th century alien flicks where all the aliens are little green men, then change the color of the skin to pale yellow, and add fleshy horns ), Justicar Samara ( blue chick with tentacle hair, almost like something out of Star Trek ), and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, a Quarian Technical Expert. She was who analyzed the needle rifle Garrus had used back in the valley, apparently. Couldn't tell ya what she looks like – girl wears a suit all the time. Irony isn't lost on me, trust me. Anyways…

Tali looks over to me. "Does it feel awkward for you as well?" she asks, a small light on her mask lighting up each time she speaks.  
I nod, cautiously. "This mission escalated quickly. On top of the Covenant invasion, we have you four in the mix as well. I'm glad that this first contact went peaceful though. The first time it has, in our history"

"When was the last one?" Tali asks, tilting her head to the side.

I sigh. "Just over twenty-seven years ago, when we – the UNSC, that is – encountered the Covenant for the first time"  
I think I see Tali blink. I imagine she's surprised. I imagine I would be, if she had told me the same. Tali then looks over to me.

"The longest war in Citadel history was the Rachni War. The Salarians and Asari fought for almost a century against an intelligent hive-mind race that wouldn't negotiate with them. It was only after the Salarians encountered the Krogan that the tide of the war turned to the Citadel's favor" Tali shrugs. "Maybe this mission – well, the result of it – is what turns the tide of your war against the Covenant"

I smile. "Maybe it is. I guess we'll see, won't we?"

I recline against the seat and start to doze. The rest of the flight goes on, the noise of the Pelican's engines compounded with the white noise of conversations in the background. Hours pass, and I wake up just as we arrive at Sword Base. As the hatch of the Pelican opens up, I see a number of figures standing outside – some ODSTs, some of ONI's spooks, and Colonel Holland. I stand up and look over to Carter. He stands up and looks over to Kat and Jorge. "Kat, Jorge, you're with me. Jun, you, Emile, and Six stay with our guests"

Jun nods. "Yes sir"

Corporal Travis, along with the rest of Three Charlie, stand up and leave the Pelican. Just before Corporal Travis steps out, he looks over to Carter. "Thanks again for the assist, Spartan. Doubt me and my team would've made it out of there in one piece without your help"

Carter nods. "Just doing my job, trooper"  
Carter then exits the Pelican, alongside Kat and Jorge. After they leave, the hatch closes. I let out a long breath and sit back down.

Tali looks over to me. "So now what?"

I shrug. "We wait. ONI spooks are probably clearing an area so our guys can talk with you guys without a chance of leaks happening"

Garrus raises an… eye… plate. "Are we that scary to them?"

I nod. "We've been fighting the Covenant for twenty-seven years. In that time, we've made no other contact with other species until now. Every alien we've met, quote unquote, has wanted to kill us just for existing. So yeah, Garrus, you guys are that scary to them"

Garrus whistles. "Damn"

[-]

Time: 12:05, Local time ( 27-hour clock )

We sat in the pelican for just over a half hour. At twelve o'clock, Jorge returned, and motioned for us to follow him. The walk into Sword Base was as quiet as a glassed planet – and just as empty. No other soul saw us enter the base, head up into the highest room, and take seats at a table with Colonel Holland and some ONI spooks.

Colonel Holland looks over to Carter. "This is all of them?"

Carter shakes his head. "Most of their crew survived their ship's crash landing on Reach. They're now at Visegrad Relay, in the public access area of the facility"

Colonel Holland nods. "Good work. Okay then, Garrus. We have a few questions for you. First off, how did you and your team arrive in this system?"

Garrus exhales. "About two standard weeks ago, a patrol in Asari space came across one of your ships, the Spirit of Fire. They asked the Council – the governing power of Citadel Space – to send a special first contact team. That team included myself, Agent Mordin Solus of the Salarian Special Tasks Group, and Matriarch Benezia T'Soni. We met with the captain of the vessel and it's artificial intelligence, and they explained their situation – the war they had left, and the odds they were up against"

Colonel Holland frowns. "The Spirit of Fire was declared 'lost with all hands' eighteen years ago. You're sure that you saw the artificial intelligence assigned to the vessel?"

Garrus nods. "Yes – why?"

One of the ONI spooks steps forward. "Artificial intelligences have a very short activity duration. They start to break down after seven years of active use. Now, we will ask again. Did you make contact with the smart AI known as Serina?"

Garrus nods again. "Yes, we did. If you want an explanation, I can't give it to you – I don't have one. You'll need to ask her, and the ship is currently undergoing repairs at the Citadel"

I see the spook frown. "Of course. Thank you for your information, Garrus"

Garrus nods. "Anyways. We took our report back to the Citadel, and I received a new assignment – find a planet that belongs to this species, and investigate the state of conflict. To this end, I was given a new ship, along with a skeleton crew to operate it. I gathered a team – the four of us in this room – and we left, via Mass Relay, for one of the clusters close to the region of space that your ship's captain told us"

Colonel Holland raises an eyebrow. "Mass Relay? You don't use slipspace technology?"

Garrus raises a hand. "We use it to an extent. In-cluster travel between different systems, and on some occasions, for extra-cluster travel. But for the longest trips, we use Mass Relays. They accelerate our ships to near light-speed, propelling us further than our most advanced slipspace engines, and in less time. That being said, our ship was outfitted with the most advanced slipspace engine known in Citadel space – the Tantalus engine, designed to maximize fuel efficiency and speed"

Colonel Holland nods. "Interesting. Go on"

Garrus nods again. "Anyways, we arrived in-system, then traveled via slipspace to another system. When we arrived, we detected a small group of ships that was heading toward the edge of the system. Unlike your Spirit of Fire, these ships were of a different design pattern – bulbous, colored purple with red detailing. I ordered our vessel to follow the ship, carefully. When they started to enter slipspace, we rushed for their exit portal, to make use of their slipspace tunnel. We sat in their trail until they arrived in this system. Unfortunately, they detected us, attacked our ship, and forced us down on this planet. It was about an hour after our crash-landing that I made contact with Commander Carter and Noble Six"

"And you assisted them with their mission?"

Garrus nods once more. The spook that questioned Garrus earlier steps forward again. "You've mentioned a 'Citadel' and a 'Council' that governs it and a region of space. Can you elaborate on this?'

Garrus sighs and leans ever so slightly back. "Of course. The Citadel is – according to the history books – an ancient space construct, one constructed by a race known as the Protheans. It sits in the heart of Citadel Space. The Council is a group of leaders elected by the three Council races – Turian, my own race" he says, gesturing to himself, "Asari, the race that found your Spirit of Fire" he continues, pointing a finger towards the one known as Samara, "and the Salarians" Garrus finishes, gesturing towards the Special Tasks Group agent known as Mordin Solus

The spook tilts his head. "How many races live in Citadel space?"

"Eight. The three I mentioned earlier, plus the Volus, Elcor, Hanar, Drell, and Krogan. Currently, the Volus, Elcor, and Hanar maintain embassies on the Citadel, with the Hanar maintaining the Drell as a client race"

The spook raises his eyebrow. "And the Krogan?"

Garrus sighs and leans forward. "Contained, for the most part, on their homeworld, Tuchanka"

The Salarian agent raises a hand. "Uncertain what path this questioning is for. If you need information regarding our governing structure and histories, we can provide first contact package"

I thought to myself 'Damn, that guys talks fast!', then turned to Colonel Holland, who nodded. "That would be appreciated, Agent Solus"

Solus nods, then makes a series of taps on what I assume is his omni-tool. In a flash, a small disk is fabricated, then placed on the table. "Aware that humankind does not possess omni-tool technologies. Have provided optical storage device, with relevant data programmed"

The second spook, who had remained motionless until now, picks up the OSD and tucks it into a pocket. Colonel Holland turns to Carter. "Alright. I think that'll do. Head back to Foxtrot Two Four and return to your outpost. We'll debrief you and your team after we analyze this data"

Carter stands, and nods. "I'm assuming we'll be taking Garrus and his team with us, sir?"

Holland nods. "Yes, you will. Dismissed, Commander"


End file.
